Tracy Chapman Is Suing Nicki Minaj Over an Unreleased Song

Give Tracy Chapman one reason to sue you, and, apparently, she will: According to a new report, Chapman is suing rapper Nicki Minaj over the unreleased track “Sorry.” Chapman is allegedly claiming that “Sorry” “comprises half of the lyrics and vocal melody,” TMZ writes, of Chapman’s 1988 song “Baby Can I Hold You” and is suing for damages.

This isn’t the first we’ve heard of a possible connection between Minaj and Chapman. Before Minaj released her latest album, Queen, she began tweeting in August about a track she loved (later believed to be “Sorry” featuring Nas) that might delay the album if it couldn’t be cleared by Chapman. A tweet read: “So there’s a record on #Queen that features one of the greatest rappers of all time. Had no clue it sampled the legend #TracyChapman—do I keep my date and lose the record? Or do I lose the record and keep my date? ‍Do we push #Queen back one week? Ugh! I’m torn, y’all help.” (It has since been deleted.)

On August 11, as reported by Bossip, Minaj tweeted, “Sis said no”—but the track still premiered via Funkmaster Flex on Hot 97 that day. It has since been removed from some corners of the Internet, although there are leaks still circulating. For a reminder of how great “Baby Can I Hold You” is:

Minaj has so far stayed quiet on the issue since the news was first reported. Chapman isn’t on Twitter, though we would welcome her to the platform (imagine her take on the distracted boyfriend meme).